PUPILS GONE ROGUE Fake parents hired as Sobukhazi pupils’ sex chat scandal erupts

Mthokozisi Ncube

A GROUP of pupils at Bulawayo’s Sobukhazi High School have reportedly been suspended after running a secret WhatsApp channel filled with sex talk, cyberbullying and invitations to Vuzu Parties.

The explicit content of the channel called 2k Dopest Nation, which has since been shut down, has sent shockwaves through the school and the surrounding community.

2k Dopest Nation was allegedly created and run by pupils who are all minors. The content shared in the channel crossed serious moral and disciplinary lines, according to sources and screenshots availed to B-Metro.

The group reportedly became a virtual playground for bad behaviour, with learners posting offensive jokes, shaming fellow pupils and openly glorifying alcohol and drug use.

Sources say the administrators and most active members of the channel are pupils whose parents live in the diaspora, leaving them under the care of relatives or guardians and largely without close parental supervision.

“Most of these kids stay alone or with grandparents. Phones are their parents,” said a source close to the school.

Inside the channel, pupils allegedly discussed and mocked classmates, sometimes naming them outright.

Polls were run asking who the hottest guy was, the prettiest girl or the most talked-about couple at school and in the neighbourhood, leaving some pupils humiliated and emotionally affected.

There were also posts hyping so-called Vuzu Parties, reckless gatherings associated with alcohol, drug experimentation and unprotected group sex.

While no sexual acts were reported or proven, school authorities viewed the discussions and encouragement as dangerous and inappropriate for minors.

When the school finally became aware of the WhatsApp channel, learners implicated in the scandal were summoned together with their parents or guardians.

That is when the story took a bizarre turn.

According to fellow pupils, some of the affected learners allegedly brought fake parents to the disciplinary hearing, with claims that local drunks were paid a small fee to pose as guardians.

“The school realised something was off,” said a source. “Some of the men who came did not even know the children’s full names or classes.”

A school insider said once the head was alerted that fake parents were being presented, decisive action was taken.

“The children were told to stop coming to school temporarily while the issue was being discussed with their officially registered parents or guardians,” said the source.

The move left several pupils at home, sparking anxiety among real parents and guardians who fear for their children’s academic future.

“We are waiting for 14 February. We do not know what to do next,” said one guardian who asked to remain anonymous. “I am worried because I cannot afford to move my grandchild to another school.”

Another parent echoed the concern.

“It is painful to see a child sitting at home. I hope they are allowed back because education is important,” they said.

Sobukhazi High School Headmaster Cain Ncube declined to comment.
However, a school official who spoke on condition of anonymity dismissed claims that the learners had been expelled or formally suspended.

“The children were not expelled or suspended,” said the source. “They were excused from school for a short period as a corrective measure.”

The source stressed that the aim was guidance, not punishment.
“Our role is to guide and mould children. When they go off-course, we must redirect them. We will never chase a child away from school,” said the source.

The official also raised alarm over parental neglect.
“Many of these children do not live with their parents because they are in the diaspora. That gap creates serious challenges. Parents must take responsibility,” the official said.

According to the 2022 Zimbabwe Population and Housing Census, nearly 908 913 Zimbabweans live in the diaspora, a reality that continues to shape the lives and discipline of children left behind.

At Sobukhazi High School, the 2k Dopest Nation saga stands as a loud warning about phones, freedom and the fine line between teenage mischief and serious misconduct.